Photographing Wildflowers On My Local Walk Today

One of the nearest areas of open countryside to my house is at Bessacarr, I think it's called Whitton Woods or Stoven's Plantation. It's a few hundred yards to the southeast of Doncaster Lakeside and is a small area of grassy meadows, woodland, an old railway embankment, and some deep drainage channels.

These first photographs feature the landscaped spoilheap next to the lake - it was nice to experience climbing up a small hill today - it was quite steep towards the top.

There were a lot of dandelions when I reached Bessacarr: I saw a rabbit at quite close quarters - when I go on my usual early morning walk to Town Fields I usually see several squirrels.

I completed my circuit of the lake on my return journey.

Christmas Holidays

I've just been checking my diary and the online weather forecast until the end of the year and it looks like I won't be getting out walking in the Peak District until the New Year.

It's forecast to be lovely on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and so I might be tempted to do a local walk to the Lakeside area and the nearby fields out towards Bessacarr.

As usual I'll be spending the holidays alone, but I've got plenty of nice food in the freezer, two game pies, a five bird roast, a four meat prepared roast, a sweet-cured gammon joint...and all the trimmings as well; roast vegetables, mince pies...and quite a bit of chocolate.

I shall have to walk off the calories in the New Year.